A Return To Volunteering

Posted on July 24, 2023July 24, 2023 by Greg Washburn

The year was 2018.A newly retired and newly single me was looking for something new. At a school conference night I stumbled upon the information desk of a local land trust called Thousand Islands Land Trust. TILT for short. Their friendly representative gave us some informational pamphlets. I soon realized that I was and had been missing out! On all sorts of things! It’s a long story that I may have elaborated on before. What’s important to note is the impact that the local land trust groups would have on not just my life but Zane’s as well. Once I realized the opportunities that volunteering offered I dove in headfirst! To think about the many seminars, events, and work days we participated in that summer amazes me now. I was searching for something and volunteering filled the void. One discovery leading to another. That summer is filled with many happy memories! New friends and acquaintances. New places and trails. A continuing education of nature and the many invasives that are attacking our beautiful region.

I first truly learned about the many invasive species here when I attended a SLELO PRISIM educational seminar. SLELO is short for St.Lawrence Eastern Lake Ontario. PRISM is the Partnership for Regional Invasive Species Management. New York State is divided into 5 PRISMs. We live in SLELO so I focused my attention on them. After attending other seminars hosted by SLELO my interest and knowledge continued to expand. I attended a water quality conference which really enhanced my knowledge of the area we call home. I also attended an A2A seminar where I first learned about the Frontenac Arch. Also called the A2A Corridor. It’s the land situate between the Adirondacks and the Algonquin Park area of Canada. Fascinating subject! But invasive species were of prime interest as the Macomb farm property is infested with the shrub wild honeysuckle and other invasive plants. I wrote a blog about it in 2021. During July of 2018 Zane and I participated in our first ever invasive species removal day as volunteers. Water chestnuts were our target. A new species to me and one I had never heard of until the seminars. It has been spreading across the northeast since about 1880 since escaping the Boston area. It was brought here as a decorative floating plant! Bad idea someone! We traveled south some 60 miles with our canoe for a hand pull event at the Lakeview Management Area near Southwick Park. It was a fun and exciting day working with other volunteers in the swamp marsh extracting bags full of fast spreading water chestnuts. Despite how it might seem hand pulling water chestnuts is a productive manner to stop their spread. An alternative is spraying the infested area with Clearcast. A product similar to the controversial Roundup we have all heard about. A glyphosate itself if my research is correct. I charge each reader to do their own personal research and form their own opinions. I will remain neutral on the subject except to simply state that glyphosates are being found in many of our food sources. They are heavily used by agriculture to supply our need for plentiful food sources. Enough said! Draw your own conclusions!

After 2018 our volunteering work fell off considerably. I still managed to do some trail stewardship work but found little time for seminars or other further education. I did manage to attend the SLELO Symposium in the spring of 2019. It was a treat to see Zane and I in the SLELO volunteering video shot in the summer of 2018! People sitting next to me said “Hey that’s you!”. 2018 certainly was a remarkable year! In the fall of 2019 I was one of the lucky individuals chosen to attend the Master Naturalist training weekend near Ithaca, New York. Hosted by Cornell it was a fun two days of education in a variety of subjects. Invasive species, micology, and so much more! As of this moment I still have not completed my requirements for my level one certification. Fast forward through the years 2020,2021, and 2022 and my volunteering efforts were not very impressive honestly. But there was always something more important to fill the days at the time in hindsight. Those days are mostly within these pages.I wanted 2023 to be different! I volunteered for a TILT trail stewardship day back in May then cooked at the TILT summer picnic in June. Then I heard about a SLELO event!

Hunting for water chestnuts on the Oswegatchie River near Heuvelton,New York.

Heuvelton, New York has a hydroelectric dam that creates a rather extensive reservoir behind it. It recent years it has become infested with water chestnuts. In 2022 SLELO volunteers conducted a hand pull in the Oswegatchie River to remove and track water chestnuts. When I read that they would be doing it again this year I decided to volunteer! The village of Heuvelton has been harvesting water chestnuts with a mechanical harvester above the dam this summer to remove the plants before they go to seed. There have been issues despite the many truck loads they removed. Shallow water and tree stumps impede their best efforts. There is a substantial population of water chestnuts remaining above the dam. This summer’s SLELO event concentrated on hand pulling and tracking growth in the sections of river below the dam. The concern is that the water chestnuts might get up into Black Lake. The largely shallow depths of the lake would be a success story for the water chestnuts and a disaster for the lake itself.

All and all the lower Oswegatchie River is not heavily infested. We did hand pull some plants however and retrieved numerous rosettes that had drifted down from above the dam. Harmless we were told as the plant is an annual requiring a seed called a “nutlet” to grow roots for a new plant. It seemed like the day was a success and it was nice to see acquaintances that I hadn’t seen in several years and meet some new people as well.

An old barn along the Oswegatchie River .

So today I once again traveled to Lakeview Management Area for a NYS DEC organized hand pull of water chestnuts. Two other state organizations were represented by workers. SCU was one. New to me. The other was State Parks and Recreation. They had worked at the Heuvelton event also. We cruised the swampy marsh and at first found very little water chestnut. But as the day moved forward we began to find and pull a lot more of it. I felt that there was less of it then in 2018 and a young lady who worked there in 2019 agreed with me.But there’s still a fair amount of it to be removed despite our team efforts. The bag retrieval boat was kept busy hauling pulled plants to the truck on shore. It was nice to back at Lakeview but I was missing Zane being there with me like in 2018. As I sat on the beach next to the sand dunes that reach out towards Lake Ontario I reflected on all that has changed and all that remained the same. The lake and the dunes seem timeless. But I attacked the water chestnuts with a forceful attitude after lunch and got into some huge clumps of floating rosettes. I was able to bring in plenty in a short time.

I drifted away from all the other workers and the retrieval boat never came over to remove my huge trash bag full. I kept pulling anyway and covered the floor of the 14 foot Old Town canoe. I pulled like a crazy man for awhile. I ended up with a slightly tippy canoe as I had about 20 gallons of swamp water in the bottom from the soggy water chestnuts. But I knew that our time to work was almost over. I didn’t want to quit as there was still so much water chestnut floating everywhere. If it goes to seed later this summer that’s not good. The nutlets will get sharp and hard too.

Green nutlet that won’t get to be a viable seed now.

Our time to quit did finally come and my heavy canoe was lightened of its cargo. I felt that we had done well. Many bags had been collected. Many water chestnuts would not be going to seed. This annual event is special to me and I hope to return again. To swap stories and meet new people. To take a stab at making a difference. Volunteering is truly rewarding I feel. Especially when it gets us out in nature! Once I never knew this beautiful place even existed. A place where a shallow marsh transitions into the lake. To be there is to checkout for a time. Lost to simple task. Wet,slightly muddy, and happy in the now. What more could anyone ask for? Consider volunteering in whatever capacity serves you! There are many different opportunities out there. And never stop learning! Nature has endless things to teach us. MOONTABS were made today!

Frogging Around

Posted on July 16, 2023July 16, 2023 by Greg Washburn

Here it is the middle of July already! There’s been a lot going on lately and there’s not much of anything that follows a routine! Zane and I have taken some time for an old time rural heritage tradition here and it was well worth it! Frogging! It’s a type of hunting for many here who enjoy summer outdoor pursuits. I wanted Zane to know it was done since I haven’t taken to the summer swamps in many years. Hunting and fishing aren’t for everyone I realize. But I truly wish for Zane to experience as many hunting and gathering activities as I can show him.

Back from the swamp after a successful hunt.

Our target species were select large bullfrogs from a section of our wetlands that can be canoed. I had scouted the area days before and decided that we should should set aside other activities and go. I won’t go into graphic details of the hunt itself but will simply say we make every attempt to dispatch our targets humanely using a .22 caliber Ruger pellet gun. We pick our targets carefully as we only want the largest frogs. The smaller fogs will ensure that the wetlands will be populated by bigger bullfrogs in the future. We spotted numerous bullfrog tadpoles below the surface so that’s always an indication of a thriving ecosystem. The swamp in summer is a steamy,lush realm with cattails, aquatic weeds, and tall swamp grasses dominating the shallower sections. Leeches are plentiful and tipping the canoe over is ill advised! Small minnows can be spotted in the deeper sections as well. The bellowing bullfrogs compete for space on the weedy surface. We hunted for a couple hours to secure enough bullfrogs to make an adequate meal. Next came cleaning,washing, and chilling of the legs. I use a simple recipe for breading and cooking the frog legs. It uses a three step process of rolling the legs in white flour then dipping them into an egg bath. Next they are rolled in panko, cornmeal, crushed white saltine crumbs, or a mix of several of those ingredients depending on my preference that particular day. Pan fried outside in cast iron with super hot canola oil they are a wonderfully tasty meal! Yes they do taste like chicken!

Frying outside with the old propane stove that we deep fry fish with typically.

We shared some of our deep fried frog legs with our neighbor’s and invited a friend up as well since he never seems able to get any for himself. Zane was totally into the whole experience now so we went frogging again a few days later in a different spot. We once again secured a adequate amount of bullfrogs for a second meal which we also shared with others. We had been given a really nice largemouth bass while fishing a small remote lake with our Camp Edith neighbors so that was cleaned and fried up as well. Eating frog legs and fish isn’t for everyone but for country people who grew up with those things on the table it’s a welcome change from the routine meals of summer evenings.

Work on the farm campsite project took precedence this week and I made substantial progress on what I call “The rails”. Quite simply they are the support pier structure for the building that will be towed up onto them. Something I hope goes well as a lot is riding on the success of my engineering. Literally! The 6×6 piers are cemented in below what I consider the modern frontline

The next phase of the rail structure involves additional pressure treated planks and support bracing. There’s also some backfill work as well. Fortunately I had gotten the underground work completed in 2020 before abandoning the project because of work etc. The septic,waterline,and electrical are all in place to align with the building. There’s still plenty of work to be done! A noteworthy series of events occurred this week while I worked at the farm! Insects all always around me at the farm in the summer. Especially deer flies,horseflies,and mosquitoes. While I was fighting off droves of biting insects last week I was suddenly visited by some interesting green dragonflies. They are known as Eastern Pondhawks I later learned. An insect eating predator species. They hovered around me and covered some of my work surfaces. The biting insects disappeared although I didn’t notice it at first. There were times when the dragonflies even followed me around! It sounds crazy but I think they were an insect repellent of sorts. An ally if you will. We were sharing some sort of mutually beneficial experience. They certainly are beautiful and aerodynamic.

It’s funny how things happen sometimes. I was considering mowing the grass again around my work area as it was getting rather long. I had bush hogged it weeks ago once. But while working in front of the conex I noticed a honeybee! I hadn’t seen one this year so far at the farm. One turned out to be many! They were busy pollinating the clover and other blossoms where the second growth had regrown in the mowed areas. I decided to postpone mowing again for awhile. The longer grass doesn’t bother me since the black snakes and I have reached an unspoken agreement! They have been avoiding my busy work areas and I have been avoiding the barn. A shaky truce exists it seems. Shaky is the perfect word seeing as I am so afraid of them!

I was going to mention yesterday’s adventure but I feel it deserves it’s own post so will leave it for now! Sorry for the gaps in posting! I get very involved in all sorts of things. Some are very personal and of a family nature that I choose not to share. Life happens and time changes our family members. Health and circumstance come to the forefront at times. The rollercoaster rides of emotion can take precedence over creativity but there’s always a lesson to be learned. Always a chance to make a difference when we take the time to embrace compassion and respect others situations. As to where nature connects to the aging of our bodies and of those we love it must be given time to show itself in each unique experience. Time is the great changer of all for mortal life forms. To find our place within the timelines and attempt to understand the natural order of things is a goal of sorts. A milestone on a journey where happy memories join the sad ones and realizations must be faced. It’s nothing to be negative about really. One must simply accept certain things. Acceptance can make our hearts ache but there is strengthening peace in the past. Photos and memories of other days where we were and still are part of someone’s life journey. They will ultimately leave us. As we will ultimately leave others. It is the natural order of all life. To live our best lives is a worthy goal. To make this day something more then average if possible. And what is average anyway? Time to stop as I am heading to the forests of “Tazmania”. It will make sense eventually. Consider that a promise of sorts! MOONTABS are waiting to add to the collections.✍️

Wildfires,Woods,And Wondering.

Posted on June 11, 2023June 11, 2023 by Greg Washburn

Another cool June morning here at Camp Edith but comfortable with no need for the wood stove. I let it go out yesterday after needing it for several days recently. The weather has been strange! The prevailing wind has been out of the north almost every day. So it was back to burning some wood here which is never a problem as we always have so much of it.Wondering about my strange title today? Read on! It’s a current events kind of thing.

Dry conditions hinder the hay growth in the main meadow of the farm property.

The big news here this week that attracted international attention was the wildfires in Canada. Just across the border from here as it’s a mere 70 miles or so to Ottawa. Canada currently has hundreds of wildfires across the country. Many listed as out of control. What’s that got to do with life here in Macomb? Everything! Earlier last week a weather phenomenon pushed smoke from the wildfires in Quebec and Ontario down into the northeast of the United States. I stepped out of camp one morning and caught a whiff of smoke in the air. From someone’s camp wood stove I figured. I had been called into work at Fort Drum and on my early morning commute to work I noticed that the sun wasn’t visible. Strange as it wasn’t calling for rain. There was a heavy mist hanging over the ponds and wetlands that seemed out of place. The sky had an out of place look about it also. Shortly after arriving at work the sun appeared in a hazy sky. Bright red and beautiful actually. My coworkers then mentioned that it was due to the wildfires in Canada. All day the red sun crossed the sky hidden in the smoke that was blanketing the entire sky. I hadn’t watched the news or listened to the radio so I had totally been oblivious to all that was occurring!

After work I began to research the wildfires online. What I read was shocking and disturbing! Areas I knew from traveling the bush country were burning! One spot in particular caught my attention when I saw mention of the town of Clova, Quebec. I had history there having actually stayed overnight there. Clova was in danger of burning and no relief was possible according to what the news was saying. This tiny town is but a spot on a map. Only several dozen residents live there. But it’s a way station of sorts. A destination of hunters and fishermen headed further into the bush by floatplane in warmer months. A destination for snowmobilers in the winter. In 2013 my friend and I had spent the night in Clova so we could catch a floatplane out early the next morning to get to our fishing base camp on Lac Hebert. We had traveled over 100 miles on dusty,dirt logging roads to get there late in the afternoon. The bush country we traveled through was dotted with lakes from time to time but mostly just miles and miles of thick boreal forest. Meeting a vehicle was spooky as people drove way too fast. A flying rock chipped my windshield at one point as an impatient driver passed us on the narrow road. We learned to look off into the distance when we crested a hill to search for the dust clouds of approaching vehicles. Meeting a log truck was rather interesting! We stopped in the tiny crossroads of Parent for gas and bait before taking back off for Clova.In Clova we had booked a room in the old schoolhouse turned hotel so getting there was our main objective. Once we arrived in Clova we had to ask directions to the motel at the gas station. We were informed of its unmarked location nearby and that we could pay after we moved into our room right there. It seems it’s all part of the same enterprise. We were also informed there is only one restaurant in town.We were standing in it asking directions! It was a hub of activity also serving as a bar and small general store. The French people were mostly friendly and spoke English but communication lacked at times. The pace of life there was very laidback. Best not be in a hurry as seems to be our fashion down in the states. I envied their carefree, nonchalant mannerisms. So leg one of our journey was completed! After a few beers and dinner we retired to our room for the night. There was the constant rumble of the large town diesel generator that ran 24/7 to power the small community. I will leave this story here and return to it in the future as it’s a worthy MOONTABS tale of adventure. But now you know of my connection to Clova! And the reason for my concern. The fate of the town and our bush plane outfitter Air Tamarac remains unknown at the moment.

This area is/was in danger of burning from a nearby wildfire.

By Tuesday the smoke in our area was obviously noticeable and the air quality index reported unhealthy conditions. Everything had an eerie light about it with a thick haze of smoke very noticeable over the trees. The sunset was a brilliant red ball on the horizon. Wednesday returned with the same conditions as Tuesday. Everyone was talking about the smoke and the news here was dominated with reports. I continued to research the fires in Canada and studied the fire maps. A furtive plan began to percolate in my mind after reading about citizen volunteers being asked to assist with the wildfires that were plaguing Alberta. Could I become a volunteer? I began to search for an avenue to inquire. Thursday found our skies clearing although the cool weather remained similar to the preceding days. I made my first call that morning to an agency in Manitoba, Canada to offer my assistance. Things went as I expected. The gentleman I spoke with was polite in his response that volunteers were not a consideration due to liability. Ah the modern society of lawsuits and liabilities while thousands of Canadian hectares burned out of control. Surely a person could help in some safe capacity?

I had a busy day Thursday of annual blood tests,X-rays, and an ultrasound as has been the case since my cancer situation in 2009. Yet another story of my journey through life. A life changing event as I have posted about before.I didn’t get back to my quest for wildfire volunteering until Friday morning. I sent an email to Natural Resources Canada and got an auto generated response but hadn’t gotten any other information. Meanwhile the wildfire situation hasn’t improved to any degree. International firefighting professionals have been dispatched from several nations including the United States. That’s encouraging since Canada’s firefighter response teams are deployed at full capacity nationwide.With other countries experiencing wildfires it’s a taxing situation from what I’m reading. Isn’t there a less liability position that I assist with I keep asking myself? I wasn’t planning on jumping out of a helicopter like a Smokejumper professional. I have zero firefighting skills. But I can cook,drive,run a chainsaw,camp out in the forest,etc. Oh yeah! Running a chainsaw is a liability in the wrong hands when I think about it. I’ll sign a waiver then. A wildfire volunteer Hold Harmless Agreement. Do my part from a distance from the front lines (where I know I could endanger the professionals.) Please don’t take my frustration as negative or sarcastic! It’s painful watching all that forest burn! But there’s another consideration to be examined in that comment!

Research has taught me that wildfires have occurred for thousands of years across most of North America and much of the world. Often the result of lightning strikes coupled with super dry conditions they are a natural albeit destructive part of nature. But enter in the human factor which at the moment in Canada is responsible for about 50% of the current wildfire crisis ( fact check please!) a new twist enters the equation. Some scientists will quickly blame climate change for the hot,dry conditions in North America. No comment on that subject without further exhaustive research. I do know that a certain wood beetle that is killing boreal forest is contributing to the problem. I have seen it first hand in South Dakota as far back as 2012. The mountain pine beetle and related species have added fuel to the fires literally from their destructive life cycles. Perhaps wildfires might bring about the demise of their spread? The threads of research and opinions fan out in many different directions. Fire has been a constant in nature and as such must be a consideration in the natural cycles of the earth. It’s human habitation that often falls in the path of wildfires so the situation takes on something far more complicated then I can even fathom.Regardless of anything that’s a legitimate part of my concern. The places I know.The people we’ve met who live and make their living in the bush country. And the beautiful locations themselves. Birds and wildlife displaced. The clean waters that will be affected by post fire runoff. Nature is a mystery most certainly.

Smoky haze last Wednesday morning from Camp Edith. Black Lake,New York.

So that’s the latest on that situation. As for the rest of my current events? Busy at the farm with the old woodshed renovation. We have finished the demolition and cleanup after jacking it up onto 5 support piers. Zane and I got the new skid timbers into place yesterday. Things are moving along. We pulled some 2x material out of the haymow storage for the new floor that needs to go down. Three years since it was sawn and stickered up. There’s plenty of work remaining before the woodshed gets moved to its new location.

So there’s lots going on at the farm property these days. I have been bush hogging select locations on the farm in our ongoing efforts to maintain and reclaim the upper land of the hill. It’s been productive and the trail system just beyond the gap is taking shape. The amount of post die off blowdown materials slow down the process however. But things are moving forward and the cooler weather has been good for working.

Opening up a small clearing on the hill. 3 years since that last occurred and it was very overdue.

I will follow up on the wildfire situation and my ongoing attempts to assist there. I did manage to get some volunteer time in Friday night at the TILT annual Zenda Farms Summer Picnic in Clayton,New York where I flipped hamburgers and hotdogs by the dozens alongside other volunteer grillers! If that didn’t earn me firefighter skills then it should have in my humble opinion! Lots of smoke and flame! Like I said I would gladly cook for all the hardworking firefighter professionals risking their lives in the wilds of Canada! I applaud their dedication! I wish them safety and success as this crisis continues on. The air is clear and fresh here today but I know it’s not the case above us! ✍️

Catching Up

Posted on June 5, 2023June 5, 2023 by Greg Washburn

Spring is quickly beginning to feel more like summer recently! Last weeks hot spell was a little much as temperatures hit very close to 90 degrees! The two hottest days just happened to coincide with the two I was working on a construction project at Fort Drum. Brutal and energy sapping is a pretty good description!

There’s been quite a bit of work done around the farm recently. I finished the neighbor’s logs and the rest of my own salvage logs. The timbers that will be used for moving the wood shed are done and waiting to be installed. I got my neighbor’s 3400 Ford tractor started finally and used the wood splitter up on the warehouse landing to split up some of the stack of blocks leftover from last winter. There’s still a lot of work to be done to ever clear the landing. It probably won’t happen until fall now. It’s getting late to be messing around with firewood.

Living at Camp Edith is handy given the short drive to the farm. Returning one evening I got to see one fox kit out hunting with one of its parents! Fun to watch before they disappeared into the tall grass. I wrote a funny Facebook post about the foxes allegedly getting my sister’s chickens last summer. I imagined a criminal case where I represented the foxes as their attorney and even a courtroom scene! I should try and copy it and get it onto this page! People found it entertaining and I had a lot of fun writing it!

I spent one Sunday burning a brush pile and cleaning up a huge dead maple across the main meadow next to the Long Narrow meadow. I worked for hours trying to get everything burned up. I also cleaned up a couple of fallen trees that were sticking into the meadows. I hope to connect the two meadows together in time for ease of maintenance and actual haying. There’s quite a few rocks to remove and some rather labor intensive grading to do as well. Getting rid of the big tree was a big improvement to my view as I constantly noticed it and considered it an eyesore. The wood wasn’t worth salvaging so burning was a great alternative. The remains of my fire smoldered for several days but there was no danger of it spreading anywhere.

I spent some time later that week ripping up some invasive wild honeysuckle and clearing the trails along the high ground above the gap. The trails had become impassable.Blocked by fallen trees of all sizes it took me awhile to get them open again. I salvaged a porcupine damaged pine tree into a 26 foot long log that I skidded to the landing. I needed it for a project that I planned to do with Zane that Saturday.It was time to further his farm education in a real time practical sense. It involved me teaching him to run the sawmill to create lumber we would need for our project. It doesn’t get anymore practical then that!

If you’ve followed my Run Of The Mill posts then you already know much of my history of being an amateur sawyer and woodman. I felt it was time for Zane to become a fourth generation Washburn sawyer. With our new gravity log loader frame and sawmill in place there would never be a better time. We cut the 26 foot pine log into 3 pieces to maximize yield. The taper of a long log can really hurt your yield overall. We settled for a stocky 8 footer,a slim 10 footer, and a very crooked 8 footer from the top of the tree. The goal was simple: fill our small lumber order that we needed for our build that day. We needed 8 foot boards and a few 2×4’s. I helped Zane develop the “cants” that would make that happen. He caught on quickly and learned the saw scale that’s attached to the mill on craft his lumber.He was very proud of his accomplishments and said he truly enjoyed sawing lumber! It was a proud and happy moment for me! After log 3 we were finally caught up with all our saw logs! There was nothing left on the landing.

The project where we would use the lumber was behind the sugar house. Years ago we had built a lean-to there to hold 275 gallon bulk storage sap containers. We used them for a few years but once I retired I was always able to keep up with the boiling so we never needed them anymore. Zane and I decided to turn the lean-to into a storage area for all our sap buckets and misc. Once completed with walls and a door we could lock it up. So after framing in the door opening with 2×4’s we had just sawn, we sided it with the boards we had also just sawn. It was a good lesson for Zane and he was thrilled that we had made the lumber we needed to get our small job done!

The final thing we needed was a door. I had told Zane that we would repurpose the single door that was on my Father’s old woodshed when we were building our rough opening for the lean-to door. We would also salvage its roller track runner. No hinges would be needed. The upcoming woodshed improvements phase out the old single door so it would live on in a new location. Everything went well and we closed out the day at that point.All we needed was a hasp and lock to finish the job.

While we were at the sugar house I could hear the phoebes in the trees nearby. I went inside to check on the nest and there were 4 baby birds inside.The phoebe nests in this spot every spring.Pretty neat to know that the sugar house provides a safe nesting location for the birds!

Since then it’s been all about doing some work for our friend as a side project and getting back onto the commercial job site at Fort Drum last week. Zane and I cut up all the slab wood from the saw logs Saturday. It’s now inside drying out for next sugaring season. Along with some odds and ends I managed to get done. Little by little it will add up although we will probably end up needed to cut more next fall. This is going to be a busy summer. We started our next project late Saturday afternoon. It’s a challenging one! The moving of the old woodshed to a new location in the sugarbush. It all started with cleanup of old bark that covered a big section of its floor. Shoveled into the tractor’s loader bucket it was easy to dump onto a future burn pile. Sections of the floor were rotted so they were added to the burn pile as well. Next we began jacking up the structure and blocking it in place. That’s where we left off by Saturday night. Much more to do!

Saving the woodshed is not a new idea for me. Three summers ago I brought power to it as well as our recovered underground water line that goes out to the old spring. I had planned to convert the building into a combination bath house,laundry, and kitchen area. But the feasibility of the build was not really sensible.But I had no desire to tear down the woodshed as it was basically sound except for the floor aand foundation.Not to mention my Father had built it so I wanted to preserve it. Having a woodshed is handy and functional at the farm property. We use the old granary for a woodshed at the moment. The bath house project will be revealed once we begin on it.For now we will focus on getting the woodshed moved. Watch for it!

Jacking it up with a “Bulldog” farm Jack. 8000 lb capacity.

So this sort of catches you up to our recent activities! There’s no exciting adventures or mountain hikes. No camping or fishing. Just hours of tedious manual labor that will eventually usher in a new chapter of farm living. It will see the completion of the camper hookup site. Winter bathroom facilities and much more. But we’ve taken time to enjoy morel hunting. Cooking meals and desserts at Camp Edith. Day to day details of the sort that most of us engage in. I have been reading more and have watched no Tv here at camp. I took the time to do a little maintenance mowing with the bush hog at the farm as well. There’s always something to and something to fix. That’s the price of owning buildings and property. But Zane’s excited at our new progress and where it’s all headed. Follow our projects and don’t worry! There’s plenty of upcoming adventures planned. Upgrading the farm property is long overdue so it’s time!

The Mysterious Morels

Posted on May 14, 2023February 28, 2024 by Greg Washburn

It’s a chilly May morning here at Camp Edith and the first thing I did this morning was light the wood stove! I just moved in full time on Thursday but hadn’t needed any heat. But the wind shifted to the north yesterday and despite the sunny skies the temperature began to drop. I piled on extra blankets last night and it paid off as it was 57 degrees inside this morning.

Spring is moving right along and we’re as busy as ever post sugaring season. We still have some clean up to do and lots of sugar wood to cut for next season. I don’t always get as much done as I want sometimes when I get caught up in the myriad of life’s small details. Perhaps I dwell too much on forward progress. But the seasons pass quickly and a comfortable balance must be struck. We manage to spend plenty of time outdoors and that’s never considered anything but positive. Zane will soon graduate high school and his future plans suddenly enter the mix in a newer sense of reality. But that’s another story for another day. It’s a story tied to my future and my own plans ultimately connected to nature. Almost intimidating at times. A journey of unknowns and possibilities. Time will sort it out. One day at a time.

What’s all this got to do with morels? Plenty! The hunt for them began last Saturday in earnest.Too early people were saying but we had scored big time May 4th 2021 so I decided that May 6th was worth a try. So off we went after changing the oil in the Honda side by side. A post sugaring task that was overdue. We headed to our usual spots and the search was on! We brought a shovel and a bucket to dig leeks as well. Also a paper sack for chives. Time for some of Zane’s chive/leek dip again! Forager pizza also but we needed some mushrooms! The search was slow at first but I finally spotted 2 in an old favorite spot!

We picked the two small morels for our pizza that we would make later regardless of our success. We checked out a new spot and were rewarded with 5 more small morels. Not a huge collection but enough for our pizza. We left several other small ones to grow and continued our search. Despite covering a large area we found no others. We collected a nice bunch of chives and leeks before heading to Camp Edith for the night. I got the water turned on there fairly quickly so it was easy to prep dinner. We had washed the leeks at the farm spring to get rid of most of the dirt so that proved helpful.

Dinner was a success! The dip was superb as was the forager pizza! So morel season had truly begun! If you want a better understanding of morels check out the blog post: Bugs,Brush,and Brown Gold that I wrote a couple years ago. It provides some insight into our foraging hobby.

I worked at Fort Drum Monday and Tuesday so it was Wednesday before I returned to search for more morels. Zane was in school and had piano lessons that evening so I headed out alone. I went to what I suspected might be this years hotspot and was rewarded with a nice collection of smaller morels. A few big ones but overall they were running a little small. A close examination of their bases revealed that they were fully rip and needed to be harvested.The morel’s stem will turn a dark brown when fully ripe. A sign that it’s about to tip over. Some morels are a darker species anyway and grow somewhat smaller. The tan ones can get rather large under the right conditions. I was on a roll and a second nearby new location yielded more! I left a number of small ones to pick the next time Zane would be with me.

I spend the rest of the afternoon searching for more morels in a variety of places but only found 7 more total. But it’s still early in the season so I wasn’t disappointed at all. I had sprayed my clothes and boots with tick repellent prior to entering the woods. I flicked a few off my pants but managed to escape any attaching themselves to me. They are the scourge of foraging and cling to the low brush everywhere. Not using repellent is a bad idea! I like a brand called Ben’s and find it very effective!

Wednesday evening found me cleaning the morels. It involves halfing them and soaking the pieces in cold water with salt. Halving and washing them will reveal any ants or other insects that might have burrowed inside the morel. It’s fairly common to find insects inside a morel. No big deal really. After cleaning my prizes I stored some of them in layers in a plastic container. Layered in moist paper towels they will last a few days in the refrigerator. The rest I pan fried with butter and a little olive oil. I add plenty of salt and pepper as well. I had a plan for them! Mushroom and Muenster cheese burgers! Yum! Of course I ate a few hot ones right out of the pan!Wow! What a treat!

So Friday came and Zane was eager to hunt mushrooms after school. We hit the new hotspot and the haul was significant! He’s great at spotting them. He uses the “drop down” technique we’ve learned works the best for finding them hidden under the ground cover of leaves and small trees. At risk for ticks but with treated pants and boots it’s fairly safe. We both had containers that filled quickly at the hotspot before we headed off to other locations. Our harvest was small at the other spots however. But we knew that the early season could change that so any location where a couple were found will be revisited again. The two spots that were last year’s hotspots have only yielded a few so far.It’s a fickle business of searching this hobby of ours! Always checking new locations and hoping for the mother lode! We cover a big expanse of ground to get a decent collection most days. The side by side speeds up the process of getting around though and helps with the tick avoidance situation.

Back at Camp Edith it was cleaning time. Zane cut one open that was full of ants! I quickly took it outside to dispose of them. No harm done and the morel was added to the salt water bath. They were pretty much insect free after that. We stored some away and cooked up the rest. Zane was eager to try my mushroom and cheese burgers! A hit so sure!

So that’s the story here as morel season begins once again. We’ll continue our searching and dodging the nasty disease carrying ticks. Last season we had our first success around May 10th. Our final harvest was May 20th. But we didn’t spend the time hunting last year that we intend to do this year. I was living in the Adks in the camper for part of May and missed some of the short morel season. I think I will head out today and search some new places.Why not? It’s sunny and cool so maybe the black flies won’t bother so much.There’s a blissful contentment in the search for the brown gold. A sudden rush when you spot one hiding in the leaves. A wonderful smell when your container gets full. A sense of connection as you clean them and add them to your dinner menu. And of course the taste bud explosion when you eat them! As I like write here these simple words: to have never known certain things is to have missed something extraordinary. The morel mushroom provides a powerful connection to nature. One of season and one of purpose. A place where spirit energy surges with new growth and something much more profound. The hunter gatherer relationship with the forest and waterways. Never to destroy or deplete the source but to enjoy a little of it. It’s truly something amazing to me. A place where bonding and teaching others builds long lasting traditions and memories. We call those memories MOONTABS !!

Coming Out Of Orbit

Posted on April 15, 2023April 16, 2023 by Greg Washburn

Sugaring season finally ended this week as temperatures hit the high seventies. Unseasonably warm for April. The time has passed in a blur since my last post but that’s just the norm for syrup season.Call it the daily grind of dedication where writing doesn’t occur.The comfortable orbit of routine held steady while things continued to slowly warm up after the third week of March. The snow steadily disappeared especially after a big rain storm one night.Things were transforming quickly!

It’s been a good season overall. The weather cooperated well with cool nights and days that rarely passed the mid forties initially. There was a persistent breeze from the north that held temperatures down and quite a few cloudy periods.Rather perfect for decent sap flow and our gathers remained fairly steady. The evaporator repairs held together and our syrup count increased with each boil. Things were getting done and we established an effective gathering strategy of our string that eventually reached 530 taps. We added several new mini-tubing runs on some hard to reach ridge lines and they produced well late into the season.Good sap runs would yield about 400 gallons of sap. We had a mixed crew to help with the gathering with people assisting as their schedules allowed.Patrick Bourcy creator of the Facebook group Just Go Outside brought his daughter Lilly over to help one Saturday and she had a blast! We had the gathering string figured out and always managed to get the work done. Feeling tired by the end of the day was to be expected but it was a good type of exhaustion! Some aspects of our seasonal hobby never change.

As the snow melted away it became very muddy and the sap haul roads were a mess! Pretty typical. We had to abandon our snowy shortcuts across the meadow and take the longer road route to avoid the mud. Things were beginning to look much different throughout the sugarbush with pockets of snow remaining in certain sections. Some of the trees began to run less sap and I decided that we would need to add some additional taps to keep the intake consistent. I chose some reserve trees in the two meadows on “the hill” as we call it. We would end up using the side by side to gather them to avoid meadow damage from the much heavier tractor. It worked out well.We chased the last of the snow into the sheltered pines where the sap ran clear and plentiful. Call it a boost into a new orbit of routine.

Chasing the snow to reach the reserve trees.

The signs began to show themselves as the season progressed. Yellow sap from the smaller maples and trees that shut down entirely. The larger maples of the string began to truly release their sap and held the sap quota fairly consistent. We began to start pulling a few nonproductive buckets along the string and Jen nicknamed them “ kicked buckets”. A name that stuck. Zane and I would sometimes work alone on the late gather after his school day had ended. I would yell “kick it” whenever I decided to pull a bucket. It’s a favorite beginning to several songs I like so that’s why I was doing it. He quickly tired of it even if I didn’t. Levity is an important part of making tedious work less boring I feel. A strategy I have used for years on the construction sites to survive the long days of often menial task. Zane and I would talk about all sorts of things while we worked. I enjoyed this part of my days. He’s my apprentice of all things rural heritage. He’s still young and has lots to learn but that’s the way of things.

Lids dropped in by gatherers. Sign for a kicked bucket.

I watched the weather forecasts closely and tried to gauge whether we would meet our goal of 100 gallons of syrup. 530 taps should have been plenty to accomplish that but the weather was changing quickly and sugaring is a fickle business at times. Years ago it was very different and the seasons seemed to last longer. The old timers rule of one quart of syrup per tap for the season no longer applies these days. 400 good taps can produce 100 gallons of syrup with an ideal season. We tap more these days to compensate for a much more compressed season. The quality of the syrup has been superb! Amber Rich grade held for much of the season but eventually the Dark Robust grade was reached towards the end. Very normal and we began filling the 30 gallon stainless steel commercial barrel to sell on the open syrup market. The commercial grade syrup will usually generate enough cash to cover our operating expenses. As I watched the forecast I realized that we might not hit 100 gallons of syrup. Time was short now. But one small window of opportunity was coming before the season reached its conclusion. 4 frosty nights and sunny warm days. I knew our old string would continue to produce sap but not enough. Kicked buckets were continuing to be brought in. We would need to call in further reserve trees for a few days.They would be scattered and few but they were available in the area we call “behind the barn”.

A huge reserve tree on the Tail End String.

I set out on a Thursday morning and pulled in 50 plus kicked buckets from the original string. The reserve tree string on the hill had been a good decision and they had ran well. They were time consuming to gather but kept a nice flow coming in. I knew it was a lot of work to tap more trees for just a few days of sap flow but was gambling for a payoff. I suppose part of me wasn’t ready for the season to end. That stubborn side that likes to achieve goals. Bullish and foolish at times. Prone to impulsive decisions that add more work to an already busy routine. I had considered the options carefully I felt so I set the plan into motion. Using the pulled kicked buckets I set tapped 54 new taps on some nice big survivor maples that had beat the 2016/2017 die off.They had once been part of a couple different strings that we had ran years ago. So spread out though that it wouldn’t make sense to tap them under normal circumstances. These were not normal circumstances. I called them the Tail End String.

Bringing in the kicked buckets to redeploy.

It was a very warm day for tapping and the sap burst from the fresh taps like it was under pressure. Very encouraging and I was fueled by the possibilities. 54 were added before Zane showed up to help gather the old string. We pulled in a bunch of kicked buckets and about all that remained were our mini-tubes. We left scattered buckets along the string that were still producing but our number of old taps was greatly diminished. The new plan was in place and the sun set on another day.

The weather cooperated and we were able to continue to bring in additional sap due to the new taps. Last Monday we brought in everything that had been our original string gathering sap along the way. The new taps were kept in until Tuesday for one final gather. The Tail End String was a success. Tuesday’s boil yielded a few gallons of super dark syrup that I plan to use in crafting our Moonbeams hard cider that we are working to create. Wednesday found me working late getting set up for the final boil where water is ran through the evaporator to push the final gallons of syrup sap through. The final boil yielded an additional 4 gallons of syrup by 10:30 pm before I literally tapped out and had to quit for the day. It was over! At least the tapping,gathering,and boiling part of sugaring. Next was the cleanup. Just another part of our labor intensive hobby!

In reflection I realize that this brief post doesn’t even cover the reality that was the syrup season of 2023. It doesn’t accurately describe the true emotions,the routine,or the mind numbing fatigue that ensued. But those things exist in other posts written in different times and under different circumstances. The true connections of this season still haven’t had time to completely catch up to me I feel. The magic happened and it exists in the numerous jugs of carefully crafted product that brings smiles to our customers faces. It lives in their comments to me. It lives in our hearts,photos, and in our memories. For in the midst of the conclusion of this sugaring season something more was thrown into our schedule by some sudden decisions. It’s destined for an upcoming post. It was a push but also successful in its purpose. Some things in life can not wait forever nor should the voice of spirit energy be ignored. The forward momentum begs its place in schedules.

The sugar house woodshed is almost empty! A sign of a successful season.

I dedicate this post to the members of the newly formed Macomb Sapsuckers Local 1545. A joke of sorts but one of recognition. Without the efforts of our volunteer gathering crew none of this would be possible. I thank Zane for stepping up and partnering with me. I thank Jen for pitching in for her fifth season of tireless assistance. They are the big two workers of our tiny operation. I also thank Rebecca and Randy Reynolds,Gail Gardner,Patrick and Lilly Bourcy,and Scott Force for helping us achieve our goals. I also thank our neighbor Tom whose woods produce a good portion of our sap. I cherish my unwritten agreement with him that we honor each season now. Fairness and honesty bring favorable outcomes. We truly shared some memorable moments together! As for me I am stronger and more fit then I was on February 27th. The first day. Proud of what we accomplished. Tired and ready for a break from the routine. And as securely grounded in my rural heritage as ever.We made things happen! Our tired iron held together once again. Who knows what comes next. But spring will come again next year and the sap will rise again. And I hope to be able to begin the whole process again.I leave you with my personal quote. “For each person there will be but a finite number of syrup seasons to enjoy ”.Best not miss them in my humble opinion.✍️

The Icewalker’s Folly

Posted on February 17, 2023February 17, 2023 by Greg Washburn

I recently wrote about a snowshoe adventure into a new location on Sunday February 5th. The very next day I went on another snowshoe trek had been planned in advance. It was a collaboration type outing I had arranged with Patrick Bourcy several days prior. You may recognize him as the creator and energy behind the Facebook group Just Go Outside. We get together on occasion for treks where we catch up,brainstorm ideas, and basically enjoy some quality outdoor time as friends. We are a good match for outings as we enjoy challenging ourselves! We arranged for a meeting time and the weather looked favorable for a good adventure!

The plan was pretty basic for our day of fun. I had recommended that we snowshoe down the Beaver Creek gorge and visit the icefalls there. Given the variations in the weather this winter I hoped they would be better then last February. The ice falls never really formed that well in 2022. We had about a 1.5 mile trip in to reach them and given the limited snow on the surface of the wetlands I felt it would be fast traveling. I teased Patrick about becoming an Icewalker if he passed all the tests along the way. It started out as a joke that became something more by days end. We headed down across the marsh under a mostly sunny sky with temperatures rising steadily that morning.It was shaping up to be a great day! The dogs Gracie and Stella were eager to get going as they tore off ahead of us.

We reach the section known as “The Wide Channel”.

Conditions were pretty stable on the ice for the most part but there were several places where we broke through as we traveled over boggy sections that were covered with snow. Patrick was the first to break through but he didn’t get wet. He was right behind me when it happened which was strange because I hadn’t broken through at all! The trek took us past several active beaver colonies with low dams that crossed the span of the gorge. One has been there for many years off and on. The area just below it is a tricky place to cross as it’s boggy surface never freezes well. We both broke through several times but avoided getting wet as it’s quite shallow. The creek channel here is narrow and best avoided. I never trust traveling on it. There was an abundance of deer and coyote sign all over the wetlands but there was little other signs of life except for a few ravens. Our snowshoes on the crusty snow and ice generate a lot of noise anyway. Stealth is just about impossible. We soon reached the “Peninsula”. A steep rocky point of land that juts out into the marsh. We were close to the first set of icefalls!

Things were getting exciting as we got our first real look at the Western icefalls. We got quite near them and snapped a few photos before heading back to the thick ice of the “Wide Channel”. The creek here resembles a river for a short distance and the water is over 10 feet deep . I mentioned to Patrick that a smart Icewalker never remains on the channel immediately after the Wide Channel. It’s a tricky piece of ice real estate that never freezes well because of current,old beaver dams, and curves in the channel. I learned this the hard way years ago on a cold December day of -10 degrees Fahrenheit when I fell through almost up to my neck! I believe that I have mentioned it on this page previously. I wasn’t such a savvy Icewalker that particular day! We detoured on a direct route that took us directly to the first set of Eastern icefalls. Patrick was amazed! As was I! I never tire of this place since they are never the same from one year to the next.

We climbed around the icefalls and even managed to get up in behind one small section. It’s an icy playground to enjoy and Patrick was thrilled to be there! We worked our way down to the next set and they just kept getting better!

We played for quite awhile and took a lot of photos before heading out. As we left I gazed back upon the spot where a group of us had a picnic in the winter of 2021. I felt a twinge of sadness as one of our group that day passed on in 2022. But I pushed the sadness away as I remembered that happy afternoon of friendship and food. Patrick and I continued down the gorge on the ice of a much wider and open portion of the wetland. The ice was very stable here and we moved quickly with a slightly chilly breeze at our backs. I had decided that since the weather was so beautiful that we would leave the gorge and make our way up to the top of the Eastern rim where there were things that I wanted to show Patrick. We were still full of energy and had plenty of daylight left. It proved a bit more difficult snowshoeing through the deeper snow of forest ravine that led us upwards rather abruptly. We followed an old deer trail since it took the shortest and easiest route. There’s an impressive circular sinkhole about halfway up that I have always believed was created by surface water that found its way into an underground passage. Totally dry these days but very round almost as if a whirlpool had spun its banks into a perfect circle.The outlet of the swamp above disappears underground below the dam near this location.There must be an underground passage for the flow which reappears on the surface far below before entering Beaver Creek.I have always believed that there’s a connection to my theory of the sinkhole which would almost certainly be above it based on the adjacent solid rock formations. I suppose we will never know.

Gracie below the old dam that makes the shallow lake of the Black Ash Swamp.

We took a short break enjoying the sun at the start of the Black Ash Swamp.You may remember my accounts of the Black Ash Swamp as they have been part of other posts on this page. It was wonderful sitting in that warm February sun! I felt totally alive,thrilled, and vigorous in that now moment. We had to make a decision at this point of our adventure. Head out towards the vehicles or journey further down the top of the gorge. I knew of a large ledge and several beaver ponds that I hadn’t visited in years so I suggested that we trek down to them. It was tough going in the deeper snow breaking trail but we were still feeling pretty strong and capable. Besides I was excited to finally be so close to an area that I hadn’t seen in awhile. Enter a new phrase into my stories: “The Icewalker’s folly”. The tiny voice of reason in the back of my mind tried to get an audience but was drowned out by the noisy synapses of excitement and love of exploration! Thus the phrase would later take on significance. We picked our way through a forest that had once been very familiar to me when beaver trapping here years ago. We sidetracked a little to reach an opening in the forest canopy that I spotted from the small valley we were traveling along. It turned out to be a mostly abandoned beaver pond. One that I could barely remember and looking very different with the trees gone these days.

Our trek continued onward towards what I referred to as the “T” pond given its shape. I remembered it very differently as well when we arrived there. Gone were the trees here as well. They had been flooded, died, and then fell into the depths of the pond. We took advantage of all the pond ice we could since the snow was mostly gone on the surface. Much like it had been down on the ice of the gorge. I was beginning to feel a little fatigue and asked Patrick if he felt like pressing on. I told him it wasn’t much further and I sincerely believed that was true! I took us out to the rim of the gorge and we got some beautiful photos there! It was tough going though with drop offs, deep snow, and thick brush. We finally reached a small summit where I spotted the final beaver pond that we would need to cross. Our final destination was just across a steep ravine below us. I call it Sumac Mountain. There’s a wonderful cliff there to take photos.We were so close! But I was suddenly watching the ever lowering sun and realizing the distance we had to travel out. Patrick mentioned it as well so I listened to the tiny voice of reason when it said: Don’t be stupid Icewalker! It’s time to go back!

Our trip back became rather arduous as I continued to break trail back towards a place where we could intersect with our broken trail. I stopped for breaks more frequently but was still feeling pretty good. We finally reached the Black Ash Swamp. That location where we once had considered heading back! Crossing it was the best way out I decided. After that we would cross another beaver pond and head down a gap in the rim to reach the Beaver Creek ice for the remainder of the trek.

The surface of the Black Ash Swamp was a crusty, cratered moonscape of snow. The sun continued to sink lower and I knew that if we kept up our pace we could reach the vehicles before dark. I was quickly losing energy and I began considering waking up the inner zombie. I goofed around instead making a cool shadow video and taking photos. It was scenically beautiful though and that moment wasn’t lost to me or Patrick either. It was that place in time where evening is approaching and you realize that you wouldn’t want to be there all night. I was packed for winter survival but wouldn’t enjoy a night out!

We soldiered on and eventually reached the beaver pond that would bring us to the rim gap where we would descend. There wasn’t as much ice as I hoped and we foundered through some heavy deep snow. The gap was rugged and challenging as well but we finally reached the big creek ice. From there it was pretty straightforward and just required us to keep pushing. I never really needed to wake the inner zombie although I came close a couple times! The inner voice would occasionally chime in reminding me on the Icewalker’s motto: the distance in must be traveled out! So I suppose the Icewalker’s Folly is when I choose to ignore that sage self created advice!

We reached the vehicles with only a few minor incidents and break through. I told Patrick that he was now one of a special club of sorts. He had passed the initiative and even scored bonus points for breaking through a few times! His perform while climbing on the icefalls truly sealed the deal. As did the distance of our adventure. It can’t be called a total icewalk given our time on solid ground but it truly was a memorable trek! MOONTABS for both of us!

I dedicate this post to the late Gerald Naugle who made his final trip to the ice falls in 2021. He is truly missed! But we are truly blessed to have experienced that day and others with him! The Icewalker’s are few but worthy to note in their accomplishments! They are Zane Washburn,Jennifer Dashnaw, Gerald Naugle, his surviving wife Cathy, and the newly recognized Patrick Bourcy. Me of course. All have made it to the falls and back! Most have broken through! All have laughed and struggled! All have memories of those special days which nature allows us but a certain short time to enjoy each winter. The recent weather has turned the Beaver Creek gorge into an impassable mess. The big question is not if I will return. It’s when I will return. ✍️

February Greets The Icewalkers

Posted on February 15, 2023February 17, 2023 by Greg Washburn

Sorry if you’ve missed me!February has been a month of outdoor activities! I had planned to write about this year’s volunteer work at the end of January on the Saranac Lake Winter Carnival Ice Palace build but here it is mid-February already! I am far behind on stories these days! It will wait for now. The memories and photos aren’t going anywhere.It’s icewalking of a different type!

Over the past couple weeks I have invested a fair amount of time on snowshoe treks following a memorable one with Jen back in January to Catamount Mountain just inside the Adirondack Park. It got me fired up for winter hiking despite the fact that we haven’t had a major snow accumulation this winter that stayed given the frequent warm spells. It’s been a strange winter for weather that’s for sure! Below zero (-23 degrees Fahrenheit) on Saturday morning Feb. 4th but that was short lived. The cold snap tightened up the ice though and got me thinking about the possibilities of some quality treks on snowshoes.

I spent most of the two subzero days inside resting and getting caught up on things. Cooking as well. Something I enjoy when I decide to remain inside. Sunday Feb. 5th forecasted a warmer day with plenty of sunshine so I decided to explore an area that I have been intrigued with since seeing a satellite image of it on the geocaching app.Zane opted out of the trek but I decided to go with both Stella and Gracie the dogs regardless. The plan was simple: park at the Payne’s Lake fishing access site just outside of Oxbow,New York. I would then cross the frozen surface of the narrow lake and find a way up a gap in the cliffs I knew existed from fishing there years ago. Payne’s Lake is one of the 17 Indian River Lakes that occupy sections of both St.Law. and Lewis Counties here in the upstate region. Locals actually acknowledge that there are several other small lakes that never made the list around the area. What I had spotted on the satellite images resembled what could possibly be an ancient lakebed. As such the location begged further investigation.

I spent a little time that Sunday morning studying the satellite map but never really put things into a proper size perspective. The trek looked simple and very easy from what I could see on the map. Many times I choose not to overthink or over analyze an area I wish to explore. It takes away from the experience I feel. In hindsight perhaps I should have taken greater pains to research my proposed adventure! Before it was over I began thinking of changing the spelling of the lake’s name! It might better be spelled “Pain’s” Lake! As in aches and pains! But that’s not important as the story is just beginning!

I decided in advance to upgrade my winter survival pack with extra layers of protection. I added an emergency survival shelter and emergency blanket. Extra food and water. A rope and larger knife. I also had an led headlamp,first aid kit, and a Lifestraw water filter cylinder. Electrical tape and other small amenities make up the balance of my pack. I also strapped on a set of micro spikes and stashed a heavy winter coat inside. The pack was rather heavy but there was comfort in my state of preparedness. I would be using my Tubbs backcountry snowshoes which work great for ice walking and climbing steep grades. I was ready!

After arriving it didn’t take long to cross the lake as there were plenty of signs of ice fishing activity that established its safeness. There appeared to be at least 8” of ice after examining an open tip up hole. Plenty! I found my gap and tackled the ascent with the fresh energy of a new day. The dogs raced ahead of me sniffing around numerous deer tracks and browsing activity. I followed the deer trail as it offered the easiest way to the top. Never question that the animals will find the easiest path through rugged country. I rested on a high ledge and could see my truck across the lake. It looked rather small sitting there. It was at this moment that my mind first began to question my perception of the size of the location. Not to worry! The day was just beginning and I was a conqueror of new and exciting places! Go forth and explore with determination!

Above the lake but not on top of the cliffs yet.

I headed in a Westerly direction and soon found the waterway that I had spotted on the satellite image. It wasn’t as large as I had expected width wise but extended well out of sight to the North. I reached the ice of an old beaver pond that had once been rather deep. Impressive but not an ancient lakebed by any stretch of imagination. I tried to pull up the satellite map but was unsuccessful without adequate service. My curiosity got the best of me and I decided to head North along a series of old beaver flows. I reached a breached dam of once large proportions. It had stood over 6 feet high at some point and had washed out in one giant event if I was reading the signs correctly. A former section of forest in the pond had been reduced to tall stumps. The ice was safe although there wasn’t much to snowshoe on. Things got better when I reached a small active beaver pond just below the breached dam. There was otter sign around the dam. Droppings and tracks everywhere. The wetland below me to the North widened significantly but held little water. But there was still plenty of ice to travel forward on. This too had once been a massive beaver pond but was still not looking like the ancient lakebed I was hoping to discover. I pressed on suddenly very acute of the size of area I was headed into.

It had gotten quite warm and I was truly enjoying my trek but was concerned about the distance I still needed to cross to reach the end of the wetland. The wetland curved to the West beyond me and I had to make a decision. Keep following or take the higher ground beside the marsh and reassess my options. I got myself convinced that if I kept going I would find my lakebed. After all shouldn’t it be connected? I pushed on with renewed vigor but certainly not as fast as earlier. I was breaking trail in trackless snow. It added to the allure of exploring fresh country but took a toll on my energy. Eventually I rounded the curve of the waterway. No lakebed! Just more old beaver ponds and a creek channel that continued to curve out of sight. I pressed on after looking back at the stretch of wetlands that I had already traveled. I continued to marvel at the size of this location and how vast it suddenly seemed.

I found some fresh beaver and otter activity on the surface of the waterway in a small beaver pond with a leaking dam that was dropping the water level. I found a fish head that the otter had left behind but couldn’t identify what species it had been. It had large scales almost like a carp. Strange! It had been decent sized though and no doubt made a tasty meal for the otters. I guessed that there were two otter because of the sets of tracks I found. Not uncommon as they usually travel in pairs. I once witnessed an entire family together with 6 individuals on top of the ice! Amazing! They dove in and would pop up through open spots like furry periscopes watching my dog and I! It was comical and a priceless moment in nature.

A feeding beaver escaped its icy prison underworld.

I stopped for a trek style meal of beef jerky, chocolate, energy bars, and water. The sun was getting well on into the afternoon and I was well aware of the time. But I decided to press forward in my desire to find the lakebed. I was a little confused by the lay of the land and the fact that I hadn’t intersected another waterway. With no map or phone service I was running out of time and options. And a small voice in the back of my mind began murmuring the Icewalker’s motto: the distance traveled in must be traveled out.” That’s not always the case on a loop trek but I was having difficulty figuring out how to accomplish a loop given my lack of knowledge of the area. Soon after though the creek system would make my decision easier. I reached an old beaver dam at a choke point with high ridges on both sides. The creek narrowed and dropped down into lower forested land with limited visibility. I chose to take the high ground and leave the creek system. No continue on would be foolish given how far I had traveled. Perhaps from the high ground I would see my ancient lakebed. If it even existed. I still felt that it did but with a sinking resolve I released that I would not likely find it on this trek. As I left for the high ground I was blessed with an answer to one of my speculative theories. Grass caught in a tree several feet above the narrow creek. A lot of water had passed through here and quickly! Only the breached dam could have caused such a thing to occur! I imagined what it must have looked like as a mass of water tried to force its way down the narrow gorge. Had other dams been breached shortly after the first large one causing a mega flood? It must have been something!

It took a lot of water for this grass to be caught by this tree!

I took the high ground after a rigorous ascent but was disappointed when there was no view into the distance except more forest. I entered a section where there was evidence of old logging activities and realized that I had ventured beyond the state land while on the ice of the creek. I started in a direction that I believed would bring me back parallel to my original trek in. The snow was wet and much deeper in the forest. A series of hills added to my exertions and I was beginning to tire more then I wanted to believe. I had been keeping my bearings by the sun but it went under the clouds and became invisible. I knew my approximate location but began to be concerned that I could easily get turned around and wander in the wrong direction if I wasn’t careful. This was obviously a larger area then I had originally estimated. The little invisible voice spoke again: be careful Icewalker! You’ve entered an unknown forest and forgot your compass. Remember? It’s not in the pack. It got left on the bed! Best think this through! … Ok inner voice I hear you! I thought. But let’s not panic here! I can always backtrack.Not the fastest or easiest option.Or continue on in what I think is the right direction and search for even higher ground. Or follow my inner compass and turn left. The inner voice started in again: you’re pretty tired Icewalker! Are you sure about this? … ok inner voice be quiet! Did you forget that I am packed to stay out all night? (But the inner voice is a nagging and persistent devil!) Yes but think of the warm house and cozy recliner back there! Not to mention that yummy meatloaf in the crockpot!… in the end I turned left and soon ended up back on the creek on the wetlands. Not where I thought I would pop out though! I still had a long trek out! It would soon be time to wake up the inner zombie!My old companion!

My fatigue really started to kick in as I plodded forward back up the wetlands. I was disappointed about failing to find the lakebed but soon decided that I should be happy about my discovery of the new location. It would never be new again from this point forward. The sun was sinking lower and the air was growing chilly. I had a long way to go! I summoned the inner zombie and let him control my feet. Step,lift,step.Repeat over and over.The inner zombie loves repetitive motion and mindless task. He has no point of quitting or even thinking about quitting. This mental state sounds weird and somewhat crazy but it works with timeless predictability. There are many levels to our consciousness and the inner zombie dwells in one of mine. The distance fell behind me and the end was getting closer! The inner zombie went back to his cranial recesses and I got a surge of energy from the coming darkness. Its that survival and challenge thing that drives me into these types of places. I left the wetland and could soon see the lake! I got my feet tangled and took a wild tumble down while descending the gap. Somewhat painful so it was then that I changed the spelling of the lake. And just like that the trek was over. In the truck and traveling back. Even the dogs were exhausted!

So that’s it! An epic day of exploration. I hope to return soon and search for the lakebed. It’s there! I just know it. As for the Pulpit Rock State Forest Preserve? At 1603 acres it’s much larger then I imagined! I know that now. Until the next one! ✍️

Up The Creek

Posted on January 23, 2023January 23, 2023 by Greg Washburn

January is moving along and the mild weather continues to surprise everyone. It hasn’t made for great ice walking but I have managed to get a little in despite of it.If you are new to the blog perhaps a journey back to a former post of mine might enlighten you as to the nature of ice walking. It is titled “Tales Of An Icewalker: Origins. I introduce myself there as The Icewalker. I learned many years ago the ease of travel on the flat frozen waterways that form each winter here in the St. Lawrence valley. This story is about a recent trip on Beaver Creek we took where I continue to teach my son Zane the beauty and perils of ice walking. Better to learn from the journeyman when you are an inexperienced apprentice. It turned into quite the adventure!

The section of Beaver Creek above the Lead Mine Road. Known to us as “up the creek”.

I decided to try the ice of Beaver Creek after we had experienced a couple cold nights right after the recent thaw. We had spent Saturday doing firewood and had returned the hauling trailer to the farm after unloading it Sunday morning at our customers house. I felt like doing something fun with Zane and suggested a hike down on Beaver Creek. Big Beaver we call it as too not get it confused with the nearby creek known as Little Beaver. Zane was eager to go and ready for the adventure. I mentioned that we would need beaver stick walking sticks if we were going to attempt to ice walk. We had some in the truck that were already shaped and had been used several times. Not to worry though as one of our hoarder sheds at the farm has dozens more if we were caught short. They would have needed work however and we had no time for that. It’s a job best suited for a workshop bench with plenty of tools on hand and heat. I miss the area we had at Hill House in the heated garage at those times. I chose to take two beaver sticks for the trek. Zane opted for none. But he has a lot to learn yet and would soon realize his mistake. Ice walking is a school of hard knocks. Zane did decide to bring along a propane torch though in case we needed a fire. Never a bad decision when ice walking but the trick is to keep your fire making tools dry! I mentioned to Zane that we weren’t properly equipped but given the short duration of our hike I wasn’t concerned. Plus there were two of us. An icewalker alone should always be prepared. I think it was starting to sink in with him. Maybe sink is a poor word when preparing to walk the ice!🤔

Beaver sticks in the rough. Trimming and sanding brings them to perfection!

We headed out behind our barn at the farm as I wanted to check a section of forest where we had harvested the older damaged trees some ten years ago. This would bring us to the very edge of the creek wetlands once we descended the ridge.The new growth was impressive to say the least. A mixed bag of hickory,maple, and some red oak. Our search of the forest also revealed huge amounts of invasive wild honeysuckles. They were overtaking the former open sections of the pasture at the edge of the forest. Bad news for the two of us hiking when we tried to force our way through them. We followed the edge of the wetland until we reached a section of pasture that we have begun to maintain. We had cleared it of dozens of the invasive shrubs a couple years back. It was easy hiking there as it’s relatively flat also. It soon became obvious that there was a lot of fresh beaver activity in the pasture.A maintained dam that bridged the wetland as well. It wasn’t a new location for a dam. There’s been beaver dams in that location over the years. It’s quite the feat that the beaver achieved damming the entire wetland gorge. The original creek channel is barely visible anymore. As dams go it’s not very high but the water it holds back extends far up the creek.

I knew from experience that we would have trouble accessing the ice of the main creek because of several springs that pepper the north side of the wetlands. They flow from underground at the base of the steep ridge that sits above the gorge. There’s about 5 of them in a mile stretch of the wetland.Even in the coldest of winters it’s a tricky area to venture out onto the ice. Zane and I explored the beaver activity and noticed signs of muskrats as well. I explained to Zane that this area had changed a lot over the years.It was decided that we would need to use the beaver dam to get out to the thicker ice where we wanted to hike. We struggled through more of the thick, choking wild honeysuckle while getting to the dam. Once we traveled the dam for a short distance we were able to access the ice. I used my beaver sticks to pound on the ice to check it for thickness before I stepped off the dam. Zane took a different approach and just jumped out in a nibble sliding motion. He’s much lighter then me so had less reason to worry. Out on the ice of the main pond the ice was gray and thicker. But as I pointed out to Zane there were numerous black sections that we needed to avoid. We needed more cold weather to truly freeze this swamp. I told Zane about the soft maple forest that had been here years ago.The original beaver dam flooded them and they all died. They stood for years like dry barren stalks before falling into the marsh and disappearing. I also to Zane that we owned some landlocked property in this area. About 4.4 acres that weren’t well marked. I knew there was an old fence that marked one boundary but the South shoreline was also choked with wild honeysuckle. We decided to search for it some other time.

We picked our way through the grassy bogs and avoided numerous weak spots in the ice. Lucky for us there was no snow on the ice. Otherwise I mentioned to Zane that I wouldn’t even be out there. It’s not deep water in most of the wetland but I pointed out the main channel sections where falling through wouldn’t be a good idea. We made it up the ice quite a distance before it became impassable. The wetland continues for another half a mile or so before narrowing down to a much smaller channel. Beaver Creek dumps into this section after going over an impressive small set of waterfalls. It was getting late and I mentioned to Zane that we wouldn’t be able to trek up further until the ice conditions improved. We had ventured past our property boundary also we were technically trespassing although the land wasn’t posted by the owners. We began searching for a way off the ice along the North shore but it began to look impossible. The 5th spring upstream and beaver activity was keeping the shoreline open with no ice to cross. We tried getting close to shore in a couple spots but it was futile. Zane suggested going back to our original point of entry and I acknowledged that possibility. But I decided to try a different approach first. We headed toward the 4th spring where I knew an old beaver dam intercepted. We reached the closest to shore that we had ever been but saw nothing but open water. I suddenly decided it was “bog hop”or bust. I started leaping from one clump of tag alder to the next. Sometimes I had to bend one down to reach the next clump. It was a winding and wavering course across the open water. Zane was trying to follow but haven’t some trouble. I almost pitched in headfirst at one point while balancing on a bending limb. Zane and I got to laughing at that moment! The whole thing got funnier when Gracie the dog broke through some thin ice trying to get to us. It was inevitable that someone would get wet I suppose. Zane and I both ended up going in over our boots. What a trip! I shot a funny video of Zane calling him an aspiring Icewalker. I didn’t think about my cold wet feet after that. I was lost to the happy moment!

The land beyond where we will return with good ice.

The beaver feeding activity along the shore was impressive! They were taking advantage of the underground spring runoff and the recent thaw to work the shoreline for food. Lots of chewed branches and fallen trees. The invasive honeysuckle would once again plague our forward progress as we headed back towards our open pasture land.

As we trekked back to the truck we laughed about our exploits. The road up from the wetland took us up the steep ridge and gave us some late day views of it. We could retrace our recent steps far above the marsh. I told Zane stories of my years of exploring “up the creek”. It’s a place of ever changing events. Vanished forests and invasive species. Wildlife in constant motion surviving the rigors of a northern New York winter. It’s a beautiful place for a new generation Icewalker to get his feet wet literally. It had been an epic trek for us. We are waiting now for the cold weather to seal the wetland shut under a layer of thick ice. We will return to explore up the creek sometime before spring I hope. I want to show Zane the “Big Spring”. Number 5 I called it. It’s impressive in itself. But I want to show him more out there on the ice. There’s fast travel out from brushy shores and rocky forest ridges. Ice walking on the big creek has its risks but the benefits outweigh those risks I feel. Be prepared for anything. It’s easy to fall through I’ve learned. Now it’s time to teach Zane the way of an Icewalker. Beaver Creek is a beautiful and magical place for me. I will always want to trek its frozen surface. For now we wait for the big freeze. ✍️

The QR Code Mystery

Posted on December 19, 2022January 6, 2023 by Greg Washburn

December is moving right along and I was lucky enough to get out for my first ice walk last week down on Beaver Creek. It’s not fully frozen however and called for some finicky maneuvers. I picked my way close to shore for a time but eventually ventured out onto a section of the main channel for some photo opportunities. There was a little bit of snow on top of the thin ice in the shallower areas but the main channel had a thicker and slightly safer layer of “snow ice”. Not the nice clear ice of hard freezing nights before a snowfall but the aftermath of snow that froze as it covered the water’s surface. Always tricky! But the savvy Icewalker knows the benefits of speedy traveling on bare ice rather then struggling through the rugged woods on shore. Dry feet aren’t the constant companion of an Icewalker. Neither is a dry body for that matter. The trick is staying on top! As always the Icewalker’s motto must be remembered: “The distance in must be traveled out.” Its much more pleasant to travel out dry!

I assessed the wetland system via my sister’s property just down over the hill from our main farm buildings. The ridges along both sides of the wetland are rather steep and difficult hiking. Rocks and fallen trees make for slow going. Thus the allure of the ice. I hadn’t quite reached the ice when I spotted a pink ribbon tied to a tree. Strange given this is private property. A closer look revealed that there was a tag attached to the small tree. It had a scan code and seven numbers on it. I used my IPhone to attempt to “ open” the code but nothing worked. I considered taking the tag with me but decided I shouldn’t without consulting with my sister first. I continued to hike on.

There’s always something to see when hiking the Beaver Creek gorge I’ve learned over the years. The beaver continually alter the wetlands by building dams along its course. Given the width of the wetland it’s a major engineering endeavor for the beaver to accomplish. But they’ve been at it for years and grassy foundations of former dam activity have made an almost solid foundation in one spot. There’s a choke point where the channel narrows through a shallow section of the swamp. A small dam here floods a large area and doesn’t challenge the beaver all that much. There’s usually beaver activity here but this year they had raised the dam some and subsequently there was a lot more wetland covered with deeper water.The muskrats had build numerous houses in this larger section. The most I had seen in years. Once I reached the dam I was in a bit of a situation! The ice below it was brittle and caving in. “Shell ice” we call it. The result of water depth dropping with no time for adequate freezing. It’s the Icewalker’s nemesis!

I bog hopped my way towards the distant shore from my location in the center of the swamp. It was a challenging series of carefully executed moves. Perhaps like a soldier picking his way through a minefield in a movie. I was losing my nerve by the minute and regretted my decision of early ice walking.It was beautiful in the soft maple forest that survives there though. In the midst of trees and small clumps of tag alders I was saved from the wind. The sun was shining down on me as I slowly crept closer to the solid land that was tantalizingly close. It was a cold afternoon and I really wanted to stay dry! I reached the narrow channel and edged out onto the thin ice. Gracie the dog was close behind and seemed a little nervous herself! Suddenly a series of cracks appeared under my feet. I froze and several more shot out in different directions. It once again reminded me of a movie scene! But in the movies the hero never falls through! There was no time to waste so I ambled forward in a sliding shuffle that covered the distance quickly. I reached the shore soon after and celebrated my good fortune! I was off the ice and had no interest in going back out after that. I decided to head for the high ground.

I began to ascend the steep ridge that reaches all the way down to the shoreline. I got on a deer trail that crosses the slope of the ridge in the easiest path. Trust the animals to find the best way upward. I hadn’t gone far when I spotted another one of the pink ribbon/scan code tag combinations. It was identical to the first one and covered with muddy fingerprints despite being exposed to the elements. Had someone dug in the dirt before handling it? I once again trying scanning the card to no avail. I pressed on towards the high ground.

I was headed to a large rock bluff that we named the “Mid Point” when we were teenagers. It sits between two other rocky bluffs called the “Low Point” and the “ High Point”. I suppose we could have been more imaginative but it’s a rather accurate description overall. The LP and the MP are somewhat close together while the HP stands higher about one half mile away to the East. The views are spectacular in a 360 degree panoramic fashion. They are some of the highest places around in the area. A favorite boyhood haunt of mine. We camped years ago on all of them at one point or another. There’s a reason why the rock is bare upon them and the evidence still remains many years later. A forest fire destroyed the white pine groves that once occupied them during a dry spell. Deliberately set I was told although I have no factual proof to confirm this. The fire was so hot it literally burned the topsoil right down to the bare rock in the higher sections. Even to this day you can find the charred pitchy root balls and stumps that are super rot resistant in their rocky perches. We discovered as teenagers they made excellent firewood and burned with a brightly lit fragrance.No need for artificial light when one was used and the wood burned for a long time. Just when the fire occurred is an unknown to me.Over a hundred years I suspect given my age. I hope to research that sometime if archives exist.

I found a place to sit on the Mid Point and snapped a few photos. It was a bit chilly with a North born breeze hitting me but I was warmly dressed for a December day. I kindled a small fire to keep the chill at bay and sat for a long time. It was a place very familiar to me and one that I try to reach every December before Xmas. It is my place for silent reflection and I always have it to myself. Gracie plopped down next to my legs and she made an excellent windbreak! Off in the distance my silence was interrupted at times by three pairs of jets doing some type of military exercises. Most of the time they were silent leaving streaming contrails like writing in the sky. They left eventually and the sky was silent until a flock of snow geese passed overhead.

I added wood to the fire several times. I burned a small piece of pine stump and was rewarded with the familiar scent of pine resin. ( pitch trapped in the roots). I noticed another pink ribbon down in the woods below but didn’t bother to check it out. I assumed it was the same as the others. It was getting late so I finished off the fire and began the trek back towards the farm.

Since then I have attempted to figure out the mystery of the ribbons and scan code tags. The tags are actually called QR codes. (Quick Response).

I have put requests up on social media pages asking for help. People had lots of comments and have been super curious as to the origins of the tags. I finally got a break through yesterday when a friend of mine who works at a local land trust suggested that the tags may belong to an orienteering group. Not a subject that I knew much about although I had heard of it. I began to research online and was soon rewarded with some promising information. I now believe that the mystery tags are from an orienteering group but remain baffled by the lack of information printed on them. I probably should explain orienteering first. I think the photo below pretty much sums it up however.

I also contacted the New York State DEC in regards to the ribbons and tags. They had no knowledge of orienteering groups that had been holding events in the state land near the farm. Apparently the group pulls a permit in advance. The DEC quickly became interested in what I had discovered and will be actively looking for answers. I thank everyone at the DEC for getting me connected with the proper individuals! I pledged my assistance in helping them locate the ribbon locations. One officer walked me through placing “drop pins” using Goggle Maps. I chose the satellite map option and easily dropped the pins close enough to the the locations they should find them given the absence of leaves. I was familiar with geocaching so was used to working from satellite maps. Once Zane and I discovered a huge wetland area on a satellite map that we didn’t know existed. We have yet to launch a probing expedition into the area given its gnarly rugged location. Yes I said expedition! It will be a winter snowshoe into unknown territory and must be treated as such with proper preparation. But that’s a different story for a different day.

This was on the internet. No connection to this group is implied or intended.

When I head out for a trek I just never know what I will find! It seems technology is never too far away at anytime. I have no wish to bring anyone under scrutiny for their hobby but orienteering ribbons and tags should be removed after events close out according to the DEC. Also by the basic rules of leave no trace ethnics. But having a campfire in a former campsite location puts me in a similar predicament to be totally honest. Not illegal but certainly leaves a trace. I suppose it’s a fine line to walk and I could easily not even mention the fire. But I felt it pertinent to be honest and forthcoming as I have always promised.

For the moment the mystery has not been solved despite the research. The tags could be totally belong to some other group. Perhaps military or some environmental study group as some suggested. In fact there may be a conspiracy involved. Facts are facts despite what people choose to believe. Remember our furry rodent friend from Quebec Mr. Jangles? He’s been strangely silent for some time now. He still holds a grudge I suspect. I sent him a Xmas card and a block of cheddar cheese but haven’t heard back from him. Tracking indicates that the package was delivered by float plane ahead of the ice up. I believe he has begun a retaliatory mission despite my best efforts to strike up a truce. As of late we have been under attack by rodents at the farm in an unprecedented manner. The bucket traps have been busy and the tractors have been spared damage for the moment. There have been 15 necessary rodent causalities recently unfortunately. They brought the fight to us and we fought back. We granted them sanctuary elsewhere on the farm property but apparently they have refused the offer. Perhaps this sounds as crazy as ever but the facts remain. There is a lake in Western Quebec named Dumoine. There is a cabin 5. There is a mouse named Mr. Jangles with whom we fought an epic series of battles in August this year. There have been 15 rodents eliminated recently at the farm in record time. As for the rest? Form your own opinions. People were asking about Mr. Jangles so I needed to mention him. We are unsure of his present state and we wish him Happy Holidays! I expect we will hear from him again. Until then Happy Holidays to everyone! ✍️